Andrew Sanchez vs. Khalil Rountree
The fight was the TUF 23 light-heavyweight finale and the UFC debut of the two castmates. Khalil Rountree came into the fight undefeated. The first round began. Khalil blocks a high kick. Khalil sprawls a single landing a couple left hammerfists. Sanchez lands an inside kick. Sanchez lands another. 4:00. Khalil blocks a high kick, sprawls a single, this time Sanchez persists it. Khalil scoots to the fence. Sanchez rotates him away. He lands a right under. Khalil lands a left and another over. He stands to the waist cinch and was warned twice for fence grabs. Sanchez dumps him back down. Khalil stands back to the waist cinch, 3:00. Sanchez gets a good double against the cage. Half-guard basically. Sanchez lands a right. Sanchez taking the back. 2:00. Two rights under. Two more. Basically still half-guard actually. Four rights under amidst boos. Sanchez lands two rights. Sanchez lands a right. 1:00. Another. Khalil stands to the waist cinch. He stuffs a double and breaks away, crowd roars. 35. Khalil blocks a high kick but Sanchez gets a double to half-guard. Ugh. Both men breathing hard. 15. Sanchez lands a left elbow. R1 ends, 10-9 Sanchez. R2 began. Sanchez lands a leg kick. Sanchez is tired. He tries a telegraphed double, stuffed. Sanchez lands a one-two. Khalil lansd a pair of lefts, defends a single. Sanchez persisting. He switches to a double, now back to a single. 4:00. Khalil with a few lefts under. Sanchez gives up on it. Clinch. Sanchez gets the waist cinch and drags Khalil down by the cage, ugh.. Half-guard. He knees the body. He lands a right. 3:00. Sanchez knees the body. Sanchez lands a right. Another to the body. A right to the head. Another. Another. Another. Boos. Sanchez works to take the back. He doesn't have to work very hard... One hook. 2:00. Sanchez lands a couple rights under. "Beat him up!" Two rights under. Boos. Two rights. I think Khalil said "Mom shut up" lol looking outside the cage. Sanchez lands three rights under. Two more, 1:00. Khalil lands a right elbow. Sanchez lands two rights. A left. Khalil lands a right elbow. Another. Sanchez lands a couple rights. Khalil's nose is busted open. Sanchez lands four rights. 35. Sanchez lands a right, eats a left. Sanchez lands a left. 10. A right and a big one for Sanchez, half-guard. R2 ends, Sanchez stays sitting down, Khalil's nose looks nasty. 10-9 Sanchez, possible 10-8. R3 began. Sanchez lands a front kick. Sanchez tries a high kick. Khalil sprawls a single, lansd a right hook and a body kick. Khalil lands a counter right hook. He sprawls a single, left hammerfists under. Lefts under as Sanchez persists on a single, they clinch. Ugh. 4:00, boos. Khalil stuffs a single, Sanchez unfortunately gets a trip to guard. Sanchez lands a left elbow. Another. Sanchez easily passes to half-guard, boos. 3:00. Sanchez lands a right elbow. Sanchez lands a right to the body, gets the back, one hook. Khalil shakes his head frustratedly, defends a choke. 2:00. Sanchez lands a right. Sanchez lands a right elbow. Boos. Sanchez lands a right under. Boos. Three rights under. Three more. Sanchez works for the choke. Khalil defends. Sanchez lands a right. Another good one. Two more. 1:00. A right. This isn't even a fight. 35. Loud boos, continual. Khalil shakes his head, eats a right and another, lands a right elbow, Sanchez lands a pair of right elbows, R3 ends, 10-9 Sanchez, continual boos. 30-26 Sanchez. Shit fight. Khalil shrugs in disappointment. Two 30-25s and 30-26 UD for Sanchez. Khalil applauds.. Boos from crowd. They hug. Sanchez gets his trophy and a brand-new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. "The guy hits hard, I got a headache. I'm a little punchdrunk so forgive how I talk. Khalil's a little green but he's gonna be a monster." Path of least resistance. "He's so goddang strong." Says he'll drop to middleweight, possibly welterweight. "If you're good you're good."